I won't say much but second the great reviews. This is a great library and as a backpacker i spent…read moremany days in here using the wifi, getting info, etc. Not many backpackers here, mostly locals. Quiet. clean. very nice :)

The library is located in an enormous old building at the top of Parnell Road and houses a great…read morecollection of books from childrens to cookery and everything in between. It's not the biggest in Auckland but it has everything you really need, including wifi so I'd recommend bringing your own laptop rather than waiting for the library's own computers. With only four of them, it can often be quite hard to get online during busy times (although I have never found myself waiting more than half an hour to get a place) and they can be painfully slow at times. The staff are all really friendly and helped me out when trying to print off things and to order me in a book from another library in the city. There is ample amounts of parking at the building, which is great as the location is a bit of a climb!

Less helpful people working there now, but those still there are super helpful. Free wifi!…read moreVery nice study desk area's with power points for plugging in your laptop, and overlooking green areas outside. Very good thinking area. Lots of dvds still available for rent

This is my local library and one of my favourite places. It is as kid-friendly as could be and I…read morelove that I can walk in here with my kids and we each go our own way before meeting up later. I still have moments of amazement where I'm like "books for free!!!!!". It's one of the great pleasures of civilised life to have access to more books than you could ever read in a lifetime and best of all, it costs nothing! The librarians here are particularly helpful and one in particular always goes out of her way to make recommendations to my 11 year old daughter which I am so appreciative of. I will say though that there are a couple of (male) part timers here who are grumpiness personified. Yeah we know libraries are cool and yes, you must be very cool to work in one but let's not forget, it's still a customer service job. Like I said, the ladies are all lovely so go figure.

Since turning Libraries into 'Shared Spaces,' a few years ago, I find this library smelly, and was…read moretold by the clerk that the computer area is a 'volatile space ". Seems every patron is tarred with the same brush...treated as if we were last of the homeless, mentally ill, indigent population. And why are they being treated so badly there? Dreadful experiences in that Library. People in filthy clothes stretched out over several seats seemingly in a drunken stupor. Glares and glances and tight facial expressions from the library clerks. Dreadful. Libraries should have remained libraries. Not drop in centres

The Central City Library is one of the first places I went to when I arrived in Auckland, mainly to…read moreprint some documents and use the free (but limited to 20 minutes) computers. I have since joined and have been regular borrower of books, DVDs and magazines. It's the perfect place to go to when one feels like reading, learning or getting entertained... for cheap! I find the range of books really wide and varied... I even found a book that I know has been self-published, so I guess it cannot be found everywhere. I even attended a free little gig on the first floor on a Friday night, which was so unexpected but really good fun. I had not been a library rat for a few years but the Central City Library reconciliated me with my nerdy side!

This hall is at least as old as I am if not older. I remember it as part of my community fabric…read morethroughout the years as it plays host to a huge variety of functions and events. I've been to 21sts here, 50th wedding anniversaries, 5 year old birthday parties and engagement parties. There is a basic kitchen with everything you need for catering, trestle tables tucked under the stage if you want a seated occasion, a stage for performing events, and best of all the place has a great, relaxed vibe. I coordinated a children's fashion show here as a fundraiser for the kindergarten years ago and it was a roaring success. The local film club host their art house cinema showings here, usually on a chilly winter's night so you get to sip mulled wine while you rug up and wait for the heaters to kick in. The weekend craft markets are held in the hall, spilling out into the carpark. There are endless uses for a great community hall like this and glad to have it in my patch.

Ferndale House is another historic homestead in Mt Albert albeit on a smaller scale than the grand…read moreAlberton. It is set within a lovely little park and although it's on New North Road, it's a calm and peaceful place. The rooms are hired out by Auckland City Council and although it's well used regularly by many different groups, it still has a heavy sense of history and maintains its olde worlde character. I came here over a series of weeks for an acting course and even the stacks of chairs are plush and classical. Not to freak anyone out but from the moment I walked in I could feel the ghosts here and the slightly faded grandeur adds to the feeling of being in another time. There's an ancient smell of wood and previous generations, and the little servants' attic of the kitchen is like a secret hideout. I really loved spending time here and I'm sure any spirits present are friendly as there's a relaxing serene aura about the place.

Town hall opened in 1911 This 5 story building was specially designed to fit a triangular shaped…read moreplot of land. It resemblances Lambeth Town Hall in London. This was Auckland's first permanent seat of both administration & entertainment in the city. The Great Hall seats 1,673 people, modeled on the Gewandhaus in Leipzig, considered having among the best acoustics in the world. The exterior of the Edwardian building is constructed of 2 types of stone. The ground floor is made of a dark volcanic basalt, heavily rusticated, contrasting with pale stonework above. Oamaru limestone from the south island was used for the upper part of the building. The lower part is often assumed to be Auckland basalt but was actually sourced from Melbourne. . The five-storey building was specially designed to fit the wedge-shaped piece of land that had been acquired for it in the 1870s at the junction of Queen Street and Grey Street. It bears a striking resemblance to the Lambeth Town Hall at Brixton, London, built at around the same time. The Town Hall formed Auckland's first permanent seat of both administration and entertainment in the city's history, with its Great Hall (seating 1,673 people) modelled on the Gewandhaus in Leipzig, and considered as having among the finest acoustics in the world. The exterior is constructed of two types of stone; the ground floor is made of a dark volcanic basalt, heavily rusticated, which contrasts with the pale stonework of the upper storeys. Oamaru limestone from the south island was used for the upper part of the building. The lower part was from Melbourne, in Australia.

The Town Hall bisects Queen St along with Aotea Square and looks down toward the water with it's…read morebig, old clock tower. With the re-branding of The Big Little City is nice to have this cultural icon sitting in place. I have enjoyed a wide variety of entertainment here including thumping house music, silent discos and classical music. The wooden floor flexing under the beat of jumping ravers or the walls echoing with Wagner's Valkyries- each special in their own way. Sometimes you can catch a talented organist playing the hall's grand organ. Everyone should visit this venue at some stage, to enjoy the entertainment, the acoustics and the heritage of Auckland.

Great local library with a friendly community vibe. Don't know what the other person is on about…read morethat it's as noisy as a train station. They do run regular children's activities on one side of the library and for anyone who has a soul - that is a GREAT thing :)